A Day-Long Study Session (April 25, 2025)

As I went about my day in New York today I saw lots of people walking their dogs, who seemed to enjoy the beautiful weather as much as their owners.

In addition to my usual practicing, I went to a copy center for the first time in order to print out some music for cello and piano.  I want to learn how to be a good ensemble player, so this, combined with my learning how to work with singers, seemed like a very good idea.

The copy center was in Columbus Circle, and it was very nice going there from my apartment. I wasn’t quite sure among the cello concerti of Beethoven which one I wanted to study, so I just copied Saint-Saëns The Swan for now. Everything went very well, and I was quite happy I could manage on my own. I feel more and more like a New Yorker every day!

While I notice these days that many people are using a tablet for their music, I still prefer using scores printed on paper because I feel as if being able to touch the score actually helps me to use my brain more actively. I like making notes to myself on them, as well as marking them up from things I learn in my lessons with Mr. Cosmo, which I personally think engages my brain more because I can see what I have marked as I am playing.  One of the reasons I have such a huge collection of pens and pencils in my pencil case is to make sure to write down everything that might help me improve my performance.

I truly love New York.  I was planning on taking the bus to my lesson, and it took a long time to arrive.  When it finally came the people who were at the bus stop with me, all of them New Yorkers presumably, greeted the bus driver with huge smiles, as if he was a hero that had come to save them. They all chatted with him and it made for a very friendly ride. There is really nothing quite like New Yorkers when it comes to being friendly and positive!